Mountain bikers brighten children's holidays

December 28, 2006|ADAM JACKSON Tribune Staff Writer

In a shiny coat of purple and white paint, the Raleigh Mojave mountain bike seemed like a perfect set of wheels for a fashion-conscious 10-year-old girl. But when Nyesha Howard cast her shy brown eyes on her flashy new two-wheeled steed at House of Bicycles in Osceola, she said her favorite thing about it wasn't something she could touch or see, but a feeling she had never felt for a bike before -- the sweet sense of ownership. "My favorite part?" she asked. "I won't have to share it with anyone." It's the feeling of giving such a gift that brought representatives from the Northern Indiana Mountain Bike Association, the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department and the South Bend Lions Club to the popular bike shop on a cool, wet evening last week. They all saw the bright smiles generated by the second year of NIMBA's holiday bike giveaway. NIMBA president James Grunenberg said the idea of the yearly event is to find a pair of deserving kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity to own a bike of their own. And by setting the lucky pair up with quality bikes, there is always the chance of sparking a love for cycling that will see the recipients become part of a new generation of cycling enthusiasts. Did we mention that giving bikes to kids is, well, fun? "I love watching the looks on their faces," Grunenberg chuckled. "I'm as excited about it as they are." To dig up good candidates for the free bikes, NIMBA members work with the South Bend parks staff, which has a pool of deserving youngsters enrolled in after-school programs like the one at the Charles Black Recreation Center in South Bend. Resha Phillips, program coordinator at the center, said she had no trouble finding plenty of likely -- and deserving -- potential bike owners from their program's ranks. But it was Nyesha, a fifth-grader at Navarre Intermediate Center, and Nyle Holder, a 6-year-old who attends the program, who rose to the top of the list. "They are such great kids," Phillips said. "This is really going to be good for them." Of course, before NIMBA could give the bikes away (along with a pair of brand-new helmets donated by the South Bend Lions Club), the group had to get the bikes. That meant it was time for Joshua Torrans, head mechanic at House of Bicycles, 10140 McKinley Highway, to let his fingers do the walking. As a man so committed to pedal power that he regularly commutes to work on a unicycle, he had no problem talking bike manufacturers Raleigh and DK to donate a pair of nice bikes. "Actually, they were really supportive of the idea," Torrans said. "It didn't take too much convincing." Perhaps the only disappointment of the evening, if one could call it a disappointment, was the fact that young Nyle was out of town for Christmas and couldn't be on hand to pick up his new, bright red DK Rage BMX bike. But his mom, Cher Holder, said she'll have it all ready and waiting for him when the youngster comes back into town. "When (Nyle) gets back, we are going to have a little second Christmas," she said. "This is going to be the first thing he sees when he walks in the door."Staff writer Adam Jackson ajackson@sbtinfo.com (574) 936-1029